Labour’s choice for the next borders watchdog has hinted he plans to work part of the time from home in Finland.
John Tuckett, 73, was named last month as the Government’s ‘preferred candidate’ for the role.
But in a confirmation hearing in front of MPs yesterday he revealed he is ‘resident in Finland’ and an advocate of working from home.
As Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, Mr Tuckett would be responsible for assessing the Government’s performance in all areas of immigration, including work to tackle the small boats crisis.
The job comes with a salary of up to £130,000 a year.
He said he pictured a ‘60/40 split’ between being available for ‘visible’ appointments and ‘dedicated time wherever’ for ‘quiet reflection’ and writing reports.
Mr Tuckett indicated he could be available in London five days a week if required.
But he said that, in his current government role as Immigration Services Commissioner, he closed its office and adopted a ‘fully remote’ model.
John Tuckett (above) was named last month as the Government’s ‘preferred candidate’ for the role
As Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI), Mr Tuckett would be responsible for assessing the Government’s performance in all areas of immigration, including work to tackle the small boats crisis
He said his decision to shut down the Immigration Advice Authority’s premises after the pandemic had been a ‘win, win, win’.
Last night Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘It’s totally ludicrous to claim an important public official can work from a different country hundreds of miles away.
‘We need civil servants and other public officials to get back to the office, not work remotely from Lapland.’
Yesterday Chris Murray, a Labour MP on the home affairs select committee, asked Mr Tuckett if he lived ‘within commuting distance’ of the London office.
Mr Tuckett said: ‘No, I don’t. I have a family home in Finland, and I come across to this country whenever I need to.’
Mr Murray replied: ‘You’d be expecting to inspect the UK borders and immigration without being resident in the UK?’
The candidate said: ‘No, I work in UK, and I would be in UK.’ The MP asked: ‘Are you resident in the UK?’
Mr Tuckett said: ‘No, I’m resident in Finland.’ He added he would pay for his travel and accommodation himself.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp (above) said: ‘It’s totally ludicrous to claim that an important public official can work from a different country hundreds of miles away
The hearing is usually a formality before the candidate is formally appointed.
The last chief inspector David Neal was sacked last year after he voiced concerns in the Mail that ‘high-risk’ private flights to Britain had evaded passport controls at London City Airport.
According to public records Mr Tuckett had a home in the Finnish Lakeland, near the shores of the Saaksjarvi lake five miles south of Tampere, between 2011 and 2013.
The city, dubbed the ‘sauna capital of the world’, is 1,200 miles from Westminster.
Mr Tuckett lists mountain walking and biking among his interests in Who’s Who. Committee chair Dame Karen Bradley asked if it would be ‘fine’ for Mr Tuckett to work from London five days a week.
Mr Tuckett said: ‘Yep. My judgment is you need time when you’re available for ministers, visits, all the things you need to do face to face.
‘You also need time where you can think, sit back, write, … So I think there’s a 60/40 split for the chief inspector where you need to spend a bulk of the time available doing the rounds, being visible. And then you need dedicated time wherever, doing that quiet reflection…’
Home Office sources said the chief inspector’s working arrangements would be a ‘matter for him’.
